Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles bolt action locking lugs

What is the best way to lube a bolt actions locking lugs? I lightly sprayed a little corrosion x on it for protection and lubing and it seems to work well. A little strong smell though. Let me know what you guys use and where to use it. Thanks.

A very small dab of grease, and also lube the cocking ramp in the back of the bolt where the sear is cammed back into the cocked position and where the bolt cams against the action. A q-tip is a fine applicator.

I shoot close to dry,less issue..................

If it's a CM action, I usually run it dry.. If SS, a dab of grease is used..

One of the most common issues, that I see on a great many rifles that pass through my shop, is lug gauling. A small amount of good grease will never hurt, and only help prevent gauling. I have encountered rifles that appear to have had the lugs lubed with a "Jiffy-Lube" grease gun. Moderation in all things.

The least I use is an oil made with a synthetic base stock.

I prefer a small amount of moly grease made with a synthetic base stock. I feel that locking lugs will gall without some lubricant.

I like to clean with a bore scrubber, and then finish with a light coat of Hoppe's #9. I lube specific contact areas, like bolt lugs, with Mili-Tech, Wilson Grease (like for a 1911 slide), Bearing grease, or something similar.

I like to use a tough product that isn't runny...more of a grease, and use a small amount of it.

For High speed guns, like an AR or a Semi-Auto Rifle, I use dry lube to cut fouling.

On a target rifle I would use a small dab of lubriplate because of the amount of rounds fired in one day. For a hunting rifle you could run it dry per rednecks advice and then just oil it after hunting for storage purposes.
whelennut

I have a 30 gallon barrel of 90wgt gear oil . Saves time, I just dip the whole rifle.
Seriously tho, I like the synthetic products out there. Brownells action lube seems spot on, and not pricey for the amount you get compared to what you use each time. Mine might just be passed on in my will.

Sadly, I had that problem once. Now they all get a little grease.

That is what I do. I forget the name of the grease I use but I do know I got it for lub'ing up a slide on a 1911.

RH

A little speck of Shooters Choice Red Grease on a toothpick does it for me.

I have a small tube (the old style metal one) of Gunslick that has lasted for years and has many more in it. A little goes a long way.

I use a small ammount of Breakfree,very small.My belief is if your going to lube it,clean well and often.Grease and oil can collect dirt sand all kinds of bad stuff for steel.Got to watch you don't do more harm than good.

A very little grease, I have been using some grease made for bicycles just cause I had it, The 4oz tube has been in my gun cleaning box since 1989 at the rate I am using it up it will be there when I die.

I use a rag dampened with plain old Transmission fluid, very very little, just enough coat it ever so lightly..Transmission fluid in tests proved to be the slickest product between two pieces of metal...This was written up in some magazine and I have long since forgotten but Jack Belk also did some tests along these lines and told me he arrived at the same result, so I use it..

Transmission fluid is regular oil filled with additives. One of the additives is some EP so in that respect its better than motor oil.

However what is its base stock? If its a synthetic then its good at lower temps.

Much better yet, in my opinion, is a grease with moly in it. Moly works when the full film of the oil is overloaded and boundry conditions happen. When any oil is so pushed away by a heavy load then only a solid will prevent or reduce metal to metal contact. Moly is a good one for that. You want a grease with synthetic base stock also. Grease is oil with a thickener added.

synthetic temp. resistant grease - just a tiny amount on the back of the lugs ... but that's only done once a year or so.

Another good thing is a dry lube, whether it's something like Hornady One-Shot, or a powdered graphite or mica ... One of the nice things about the dry lubes is that they don't attract any dirt/grime like a grease will, and they are not affected by temperatures.

All my indexable carbide insert cutters come with a small tube of Moly and so I keep one around for putting a small dab on the lugs. Once you do that once, it'll impregnate into the abutments and lugs, so the process will very likely never have to be repeated again.

My Ti was very sticky, but that little trick slicked it right up.

Matt ... you need to send me a little sample of that stuff to try out ... I'd love to give it a whirl ...